Iran releases four Iranian-Americans

New York Times

Published 5:36 pm, Saturday, January 16, 2016

Tehran, Iran

Iran announced on Saturday that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States, a move that came as the United States and Iran were negotiating the final steps before the expected lifting of oil and financial sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.

The exchange, first reported by Iran and confirmed hours later by Obama administration officials, removed a big source of irritation in the difficult relationship between the two countries, which broke down during the 1979-1981 Tehran hostage crisis.

Obama administration officials, sensitive to criticism that they have capitulated to Iran on many issues, attributed the break in the prisoner dispute to the new climate of diplomacy they have cultivated with Iran.

"They understood this was a priority for us, and that we'd never give it up," said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the prisoner exchange was handled with extraordinary caution.

The prisoner swap was announced in Tehran as Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, met in Vienna in an effort to seal the last details needed before the nuclear accord is carried out.

Families and supporters of the released Americans — Amir Hekmati, Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini and a fourth, Nosratollah Khosravi, whose incarceration had not been publicly reported — reacted with mix of joy and caution, reflecting the tensions and mistrust built up over Iran's intentions toward the prisoners, who had not yet left Iran by Saturday evening.